Italian Knitted Ties

As lovely as the summer has been we are now approaching Autumn and that makes us think (amongst other Autumnal things) of knitted ties! Of course you can wear them all year round, they looked fantastic in pop brights and soft pastels with the bold colours and eye-catching prints of Italys Piti Uomo summer treat but their texture implies the autumn season and makes you think of cashmere and denims and winter style looks, not to mention deeper, darker colours like navy, burgundy, charcoal grey and olive green. What’s wonderful about knitted ties is they hold their colour so well, the dense weave really makes a richer colour statement unlike plain cottons. You can also buy them in varying widths and styles and there are endless detailing choices from squared hems and contrast lining to spots, diagonal lines, zig zags and stripes. Generally they only include two colours per design but there’s no reason to not add more.

Of course the knitted tie originated in Italy and first became popular over here gradually in the 1960s due to Sean Connery, The Beatles and James Dean, now more and more markets have taken it on and the knitted tie is popular everywhere. To begin with it was viewed as a predominately casual item but today it is generally worn with a suit in a more traditional look. The ties are usually knitted in mix of silk and wool and not only work as ties but make brilliant bow-ties and pocket squares too, adding that strength and structure to the shape that cotton bow-ties and pockets often lack. It seems that all designers and brands now offer knitted ties in their ranges and there’s been huge support from magazines like GQ and Esquire who have featured them on their front pages. They suggest starting with a plain option and then branching out, what are you waiting for?